Post Doctoral Research Associate: Cultures of Listening in Crisis

Closing Date: midnight on 29th January 2025

Weekly Working Hours: 14.8

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 31st March 2026

Job Description: 

About the Role

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the OSC funded project Cultures of Listening in Crisis: enhancing professional listening to children and adults in situations of need or risk. The successful candidate will work closely with Dr Johanna Motzkau, based at the School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University, and Professor Michelle Lefevre, Director of the Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth (CIRCY), based at the University of Sussex. We are looking for a proactive and creative PDRA who would seek to play an active part in supporting the development of a new research method, manage and analyse data as part of this innovative pilot research. They will use their research knowledge, skills and grant bidding experience to support key aspects of the pilot research and contribute to networking and preparing an external grant bid.

A complete Job Description, providing further detail about the role can be found here: JD Link 

Key Responsibilities

The PDRA role involves some data collection, filing and processing, contribution to data analysis (quantitative and qualitative), including conducting and analysing feedback interviews; further the PDRA will lead on social media work and impact/stake holder networking and engagement, will find/establish dissemination networks including for interdisciplinary/multiagency academic, policy and stake holder audiences; contribution to build towards training/impact partnerships and thus contribute to key elements of assembling a large external grant bid that results from this pilot; contribute to drafting and editing of the pilot research report.

Skills and Experience

Essential Requirements

• PhD in Social Work
• Training in, and experience of, systemic therapy
• Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Excellent skills in qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis in the Social Sciences/Psychology
• Proven experience working with sensitive topics such as child sexual exploitation
• Experience of working in a legal context, including family courts
• Experience in working with groups of students, social work practitioners, or service users

A complete Job Description, providing further detail about the role can be found here: JD Link

To apply for this role please submit the following as one document;

• CV
• Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

Please Note: We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential.  We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.  We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.

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